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[Oxymoron]

Britain's surveillance agency GCHQ, with aid from the National Security Agency, intercepted and stored the webcam images of millions of internet users not suspected of wrongdoing, secret documents reveal.

GCHQ files dating between 2008 and 2010 explicitly state that a surveillance program codenamed Optic Nerve collected still images of Yahoo webcam chats in bulk and saved them to agency databases, regardless of whether individual users were an intelligence target or not.

In one six-month period in 2008 alone, the agency collected webcam imagery – including substantial quantities of sexually explicit communications – from more than 1.8 million Yahoo user accounts globally.

[...]

While the documents do not detail efforts as widescale as those against Yahoo users, one presentation discusses with interest the potential and capabilities of the Xbox 360's Kinect camera, saying it generated "fairly normal webcam traffic" and was being evaluated as part of a wider program.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/gchq-nsa-webcam-images-internet-yahoo

Note that the files date from 2008-2010, and Kinect was released in fall 2010. If they were discussing it before it released, they almost certainly went ahead with it.

If you've ever shown your junk on Kinect, the Queen has it.

 

[jschreier]

Note that the files date from 2008-2010, and Kinect was released in fall 2010. If they were discussing it before it released, they almost certainly went ahead with it.

That's a bit of a leap, don't you think?

 

[Springy]

If you've ever shown your junk on Kinect, the Queen has it.

I wondered why I was on the New Years Honours List.

 

[Jibbed]

It specifically states 'Yahoo webcam chats'... how you think this is related to Kinect is beyond me.

Oxymoron indeed.

 

[Enchanted]

Maybe in the next couple of years we'll hear about the XB1 Kinect too.

 

[Josh7289]

That's a bit of a leap, don't you think?

Absolutely nothing is a leap when it comes to government surveillance at this point.

 

[S¡mon]

It is pretty normal that governments intercept webcam data, including Kinect.

 

[Ade]

Bit of a sensationalist thread title considering the content.

So basically GCHQ captured webcam images. To turn that into a ZOMG THE KINECT IS SPYING ON YOU ALL thread seems a little extreme.

 

[Risk Breaker]

It is pretty normal that governments intercept webcam data, including Kinect.

What?

 

[Revolutionary]

This is hardly confirmation that it occurred with the Kinect, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Microsoft was one of the first to support Prism, after all.

 

[PhatSaqs]

Thread title is straight up lies lol.

 

[ymmv]

Bit of a sensationalist thread title considering the content.

So basically GCHQ captured webcam images. To turn that into a ZOMG THE KINECT IS SPYING ON YOU ALL thread seems a little extreme.

It is interesting that secret services were indeed investigating how to use Kinect to spy on people.

 

[OminoMichelin]

It is pretty normal that governments intercept webcam data, including Kinect.

It's only been considered normal for a couple years. Wholesale espionage is such a demented concept that only sci-fi writers and paranoids thought it would actually happen. That was before the leaks, of course.

 

[mavs]

That's a bit of a leap, don't you think?

A leap? It's like a step, at most. More like a shuffle really.

 

[ymmv]

It is pretty normal that governments intercept webcam data, including Kinect.

“Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

 

[Springy]

The idea of people dismissing this (whether the agencies simply discussed it as a possibility or went ahead with the Kinect program) as no big deal just stupefy me.

 

[boeso]

The Guardian have already shown slides from NSA/GCHQ of how they use the mass collection for economic espionage and spying on political interests which do not agree with theirs.

Same for everyone else, if they find a group of people uniting against stuff like this they can target the main leaders and discredit them using the information/images they gathered. Its not good and its not to be ignored by everyone because you're not in politics or run an oil business.

 

[Charles Alan Ratliff]

I played Kinect Adventures naked.

 

[BibiMaghoo]

Article says they were looking at it's potential, not that it happened.

 

[RotBot]

Let's say they are intercepting Kinect data. What applications stream video with an expectation of privacy?

Skype is the only thing I can think of. And if they're monitoring Skype, there's nothing special about Kinect, since it would be the same for PC webcams and voice and text communications.

There are games that capture short clips, but those are only sent over the network when you choose to upload them publicly. Twitch streaming will also be public.

And if you're going to say Kinect is periodically phoning home to Microsoft outside of specific apps and games, link some evidence.

 

[Kerned]

While I don't doubt for a second that the thread title is true, it doesn't really reflect what the article actually says.

 

[arhra]

What?

You really think they're going to leave Skype calls (or any other, webcam-based or otherwise, videoconferencing technology) as a hole in their surveillance coverage?

 

[pronk420]

there's slightly more about kinect than is quoted in the op

While the documents do not detail efforts as widescale as those against Yahoo users, one presentation discusses with interest the potential and capabilities of the Xbox 360's Kinect camera, saying it generated "fairly normal webcam traffic" and was being evaluated as part of a wider program.

Documents previously revealed in the Guardian showed the NSA were exploring the video capabilities of game consoles for surveillance purposes.

not sure what that refers to though.

i don't think its a huge leap to think they might have done this, and the article is pretty disturbing regardless

 

[GoaThief]

I've had a lot of my security concerns regarding Kinect pooh poohed, hopefully (or not if it does not happen and we're all just paranoid) all these practices will be exposed one day.

 

[Iorv3th]

It is pretty normal that governments intercept webcam data, including Kinect.

It shouldn't be. Shouldn't be acceptable at all.

 

[Freeman]

I naturally always cover my webcam when I'm about to have a good time,I don't like the way it stares and judges me.

 

[Not_A-Cop_Maybe]

They can go ahead and keep all the videos of me in my boxers screaming profanities at my tv when I'm playing.

Lets be honest here, is this an invasion of privacy? Yes.
Are you building bombs in front of your kinect? No.
Are they going to come to your door and request you put clothes on? Possibly but most likely no.

 

[jimbobsmells]

Does OP work for gawker as a headline writer? Lol.
But seriously, this is crazy. If this doesn't get people angry about mass surveillance then nothing will. Not even targeted, just blanket capture. Brilliant.
At least the intelligence analysts got tonnes of free amateur porn though, so every cloud...

 

[spekkeh]

Let's say they are intercepting Kinect data. What applications stream video with an expectation of privacy?

Skype is the only thing I can think of. And if they're monitoring Skype, there's nothing special about Kinect, since it would be the same for PC webcams and voice and text communications.

There are games that capture short clips, but those are only sent over the network when you choose to upload them publicly. Twitch streaming will also be public.

And if you're going to say Kinect is periodically phoning home to Microsoft outside of specific apps and games, link some evidence.

Still images? How would you know. Besides, the article states they were collected in bulk, not per se periodically.

 

[ymmv]

Article says they were looking at it's potential, not that it happened.

Judging from the amount of random data the NSA has been gathering, I can't believe they never used that backdoor. They've been monitoring *everything*. Don't forget Kinect cameras are placed right under the TV so those spying eyes are seeing everything in your living room. It's ideally placed for hidden surveillance.

 

[rokkerkory]

wth governments

 

[KojiKnight]

They can go ahead and keep all the videos of me in my boxers screaming profanities at my tv when I'm playing.

Lets be honest here, is this an invasion of privacy? Yes.
Are you building bombs in front of your kinect? No.
Are they going to come to your door and request you put clothes on? Possibly but most likely no.

And this makes it okay.... why?

 

[ekim]

Talk about a misleading title. :lol

edit: You should work for the SUN or FOX News or something

 

[PJV3]

I wondered why I was on the New Years Honours List.

She saw my wrinkly ol' fella and sent me a 100th bday message.

 

[SkoomaSuckinSwit]

Think they'd capture PS4 camera streaming too?

 

[marrec]

I hope my junk is pinned on someone's whiteboard as part of a larger investigation into a terrorist cell.

There's just like, pictures of bad guys and bombs and buildings, polaroids ya know? All of them are connected with yarn and magnets. There's a bunch of agents standing there stroking their chins in consternation as to why the can't catch these bastards. Then, you seen a line of yarn connecting to a picture of my junk amidst the rest.

Would be my greatest fucking achievement.

 

[ymmv]

They can go ahead and keep all the videos of me in my boxers screaming profanities at my tv when I'm playing.

Lets be honest here, is this an invasion of privacy? Yes.
Are you building bombs in front of your kinect? No.
Are they going to come to your door and request you put clothes on? Possibly but most likely no.

Wouldn't you rather live in a society where the secret service needs a court order to spy on citizens?

 

[JoJo UK]

OP should perhaps edit the thread title to reflect the actual story rather than their own personal feelings?

EDIT: Can't see any responses from OT, threw a grenade post and ran?

 

[McDougles]

British Intelligence and NSA (probably) Want To Enter Your Homes, Strap You To Their Brainwashing Machines, Transfer Your Brain Data To The Cloud, Powered By The One Console, Xbox One

 

[Ubersnug]

Misleading title is misleading!

 

[KojiKnight]

Think they'd capture PS4 camera streaming too?

Yes. If it's a webcam, and data is sent from it to anywhere else using the internet, no doubt they are capturing it. (note NSA has it's hand caught in the cookie jar, but there has been ZERO in the way of real reforms in the way the laws or anything related to the NSA is written)

 

[azhar]

(probably) the most misleading title I've read this week.

 

[jet1911]

Dat sensationalism!

 

[Coolwhip]

Might be a misleading thread, but I think everyone knows what they get themselves into when they point a camera and mic that's connected to the web at their living room.

 

[Freki]

It is pretty normal that governments intercept webcam data, including Kinect.

Normal? In my book this never will be "normal" - Intercepting any kind of communications should be a measure only taken under extreme circumstances and not be commonplace. Yes I know I'm idealistic but I refuse to simply give up my rights.

 

[Prince Vultan]

So all those jokes about Kinect Xbone NSA spying last year were probably much closer to the mark than anyone seriously thought after all? And James Bond was getting in on the act too?

Glad I didn't buy one is all I can say.

 

[pompidu]

If you've broadcasted video on the internet, no matter the device, it has been collected by NSA.

 

[Oersted]

Dat sensationalism!

It ain't.

"The agencies, the documents show, have built mass-collection capabilities against the Xbox Live console network, which boasts more than 48 million players," the report reads. "Real-life agents have been deployed into virtual realms, from those Orc hordes in World of Warcraft to the human avatars of Second Life. There were attempts, too, to recruit potential informants from the games' tech-friendly users."


According to the 2008 paper acquired by Snowden and seen by the Guardian, titled Exploiting Terrorist Use of Games & Virtual Environments, no acts of terrorism have been prevented by the monitoring, nor have any criminals been apprehended. The document is due to be released Monday, December 16.

The article asserts that the agencies, which were recently revealed to have collaborated on a vast network of intelligence gathering operations which has included monitoring the communications of foreign leaders like Germany's Angela Merkel, has established these "mass-collection capabilities" within Xbox Live by utilising biometric data provided by Kinect in addition to more traditional information like email address, messages and IP locations. It's also claimed that various games had private chat channels, both voice and text based, monitored and recorded for future analysis.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=european-daily

 

[jorma]

Might be a misleading thread, but I think everyone knows what they get themselves into when they point a camera and mic that's connected to the web at their living room.

We do now. Edward Snowden let us know. Don't pretend this was commmon knowledge before he blew the whistle.

And if anyone suggested anything to that effect before Snowden, he'd be branded a "tinfoiler" in no time.

 

[RotBot]

Still images? How would you know. Besides, the article states they were collected in bulk, not per se periodically.

The article says still images were collected from live webcam chats every 5 minutes. In bulk means they did it to a large group of random people, not that Yahoo was saving all of it and then GCHQ grabbed them all at once.

Though the most useful information for intelligence services regarding Kinect would be the facial recognition data. Is that stored locally or is it uploaded to the cloud so it works when you sign into another Xbox?